1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid injecting apparatus which can suitably inject a solvent for forming an image to an image recording material such as a light-sensitive material, an image receiving material and the like and a method of manufacturing a fluid injecting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus for performing an image recording operation by using two kinds of image recording materials, for example, a light-sensitive material and an image receiving material is known.
A solvent application portion for forming an image having a tank storing a solvent for forming an image which is used for application to the light-sensitive material is disposed within this kind of image forming apparatus, and further a heat developing and transferring portion comprising a heating drum and an endless pressing belt pressed into contact with the outside of the heating drum and rotating with the heating drum is disposed within the image forming apparatus.
A light-sensitive material on which the image is exposed while being held and conveyed within the image forming apparatus is soaked in the tank in which water acting as the image forming solvent is stored at the image forming solvent application portion, and is fed to the heat developing and transferring portion after the water is applied thereon. On the other hand, the image receiving material is fed to the heat developing and transferring portion in the same manner as the light-sensitive material.
In the heat developing and transferring portion, the light-sensitive material after the water is applied thereon is put over the image receiving material and in this state wound around the outer periphery of the heating drum while in close contact thereto. Further, both materials are transferred between the heating drum and the endless pressing belt while being held therebetween, and the image is transferred to the image receiving material at the same time as the light-sensitive material is heat developed, so that a predetermined image is formed (recorded) on the image receiving material.
However, in the case where the light-sensitive material is soaked in the tank in which the water acting as the image forming solvent is stored, once the water comes into contact with the light-sensitive material, it becomes constantly stored in the tank. As a result, bacteria using traces of organic material released from the light-sensitive material as a nutrition source grow in the tank so that the water is made dirty. There is thus a risk of the image forming apparatus itself deteriorating and the image quality dropping.
Accordingly, a method in which the water supply side, such as the tank, is not in contact with the light-sensitive material, and a nozzle plate disposing a plurality of nozzles in a line is vibrated by an actuator so that small water drops are injected from a fluid injecting apparatus corresponding to an atomizer to the light-sensitive material and is applied thereto has been thought of.
Then, when mounting the actuator to the fluid injecting apparatus, the idea of pressing the actuator into the gap within the fluid injecting apparatus so as to be mounted has been thought of.
However, when the fluid injecting apparatus is filled with water, bubbles tend to adhere to the inner wall, and bubbles entering from the nozzles along with injected water drops adhere to the inner wall of the fluid injecting apparatus and remain there. Accordingly, there is a risk of pressure loss through bubbles and deterioration of atomization is generated during the atomizing operation of the fluid injecting apparatus, causing blocking of nozzles.
Because of this, portions free of water appear on the light-sensitive material, so that uniform coating of the light-sensitive material is difficult.
Further, in the case where the structure that the nozzle plate having the nozzle holes is disposed between a pair of lever mechanisms in such a manner as to extend thereover and water drops are injected by displacing the nozzle plate by means of an actuator, a space for freely swinging the lever mechanism is required in the fluid injecting apparatus. As a result of this, unevenness exists on the inner wall surface of the fluid injecting apparatus and bubbles adhere easily to the inner wall surface, so that the deterioration in atomization occurs even more easily during the atomizing operation of the fluid injecting apparatus.
On the other hand, the bubbles can be inhibited from adhering to the inside of the fluid injecting apparatus by making the cross sectional shape of the inner space of the fluid injecting apparatus close to that of a cylindrical and circular tube shape. However, in the case where the inner wall surface which makes the inner space of the fluid injecting apparatus a sealed structure is formed smoothly and made so that the cross sectional shape is similar to a circular tube, it is hard to increase the surface characteristics in places where bonding between the elements constituting the fluid injecting apparatus, for example, a portion connecting the lever mechanism and the fixed wall portion and a portion connecting the lever mechanism and the nozzle plate.
On the other hand, since it is necessary to control the temperature of the fluid injecting apparatus with a heater in order to adjust the water within the fluid injecting apparatus at predetermined temperatures so as to stabilize the image quality, the fluid injecting apparatus itself is thermally expanded in correspondence to the temperature control, so that the sizes of places where the actuator is pressed change are different from the sizes at the time at which the actuator is mounted. As a result, the displacement amount which is transmitted to the nozzle plate from the actuator is changed. This is a problem; the total displacement amount of the nozzle holes which is necessary for injecting the fluid can not be obtained.